The Bell Witch

An American Haunting

De: Brent Monahan

Narrado por: Cameron Beierle

Known throughout Tennessee as "Old Kate", the Bell Witch took up residence with John Bell's family in 1818. It was a cruel and noisy spirit, given to knocking and gnawing sounds before finding its own voices. With these voices and supernatural acts, the Bell Witch tormented the Bell family.

This extraordinary tale recounts the only documented case in U.S. History when a spirit "actually caused a man's death". The then local schoolteacher and later senator, Richard Powell, witnessed these strange events and recorded them in a diary for his daughter. He died in 1948. His astonishing manuscript fell into the hands of novelist Brent Monohan, who edited it for this retelling.

©1997 Brent Monahan (P)2003 Books in Motion

Fantastic retelling of the "true" haunting

if you are familiar with The Bell Witch you will find this account fascinating. While the actual story is "real" this account is fictional, (this manuscript by Richard Powell, I'm sure, does not exist) but the author presents all the events that are purported to have happened but through a slightly different lens. The much talked about conclusion is believable and makes sense given the nature of poltergeist activity and any one who doesn't like it is simply wanting a horror movie ending which does not fit in a "true" tale such as this. As for talk of the book being racist? There is racism from the characters in the book but the book itself is not. It is an account of a family in the early 1800's who owned slaves. They obviously wouldn't be the most liberal of thinkers. No attempt is made to make you think their point of view is a correct one, it simply presents the attitudes the people had at the time (which are of course shocking and horrible). The narration is amazing. Seriously Cameron Beirele is so good I will look up his other jobs here on Audible. His cadence is unusual at first but it will grab you before long and his voices are perfect. My only complaint is a technical one. Though I have my setting for highest audio quality, this sounded unusually compressed. It sounded like a very old streamed recording from the early 2000's. Maybe I got a bad download I don't know. But it is still listenable and highly recommend to all fans of the Bell Witch haunting.

Interesting ..... but not scary

I mean if you like horror like stuff that is interesting - that why not.. but certainly not a Scary Ass Story

Unseen powers...

Listeners who criticize this book as boring and not scary have been reading too many Stephen King novels.Think of this book more as the recollections of an aged great grandfather told around the fireplace. You wonder how accurate these recollections are but, if true, they are terrifying. The story may seem to drag a bit at times, with similar activities occurring in a number of episodes--but remember, this is taken from someone's actual journal and is not a piece of carefully plotted fiction. I am assuming, of course, that Mr. Monahan did not create any of the events described or any of the thoughts of the original journalist, only updated some of the language and perhaps excised portions not relevant to the story.

Make sure you finish the book--the ending is quite startling.

Creepy...thrilling and hard to turn off.

fantastic read the narrator did the voices of the characters absolutely perfect... Historic and believable. I would recommend this book to anyone the lights a good whore story is well as anyone who enjoys history.

Had potential

When I first started listening to this it sounded like it was going to be a scary what about midway through it started getting comical right at the end it kind of got back to I being a horror book but I cannot say I was impressed at all. Also the narrator did do a fantastic job

Ridiculous Ending

Would you consider the audio edition of The Bell Witch to be better than the print version?

I don't want to spoil it but must comment on the ending of this story. I won't say exactly what it is except that, having grown up in Tennessee, I had heard Bell Witch stories all my life. I have read many "accounts" (whether actual or not, I don't know) and have never heard of this summation as to why the Bell family was haunted by this malevolent spirit. All I can say is that it was very disappointing, with no facts to back up the author's assessment.

Would you recommend The Bell Witch to your friends? Why or why not?

I would for some of the historical accounts of what "Old Kate" had done and for the historical value of this old Tennessee story but I would forewarn those who want to read it against believing the author's "artistic license" with the ending.

Which character – as performed by Cameron Beierle – was your favorite?

John Bell

Who was the most memorable character of The Bell Witch and why?

Well, of course, "Old Kate". This spirit was captured quite clearly in the narrative and with the narrator.

Chilling

I first heard about the Bell Witch on Ghost Adventures and I confess I had been curious about it since, particularly since I was born and raised in the South. Not in Tennessee, I hail from NC, but they're a close neighbor and I've always liked supernatural tales and folklore. As an x-ray tech who's almost always working, I didnt have time to research it, but I did listen to Sara Clancy's series about The Bell Witch, and it sparked my initial interest again. So when I found this and discovered it was actually from the diary of someone with firsthand experience about the Bell Witch, and knew the family, I just had to give it a listen, and I must say, it blew me away. The narrator is amazing and he does the voice of the witch amazingly well. Throughout the entire story I was trying to figure out why the witch would have such a grudge against John Bell Sr, as it was a complex entity and I didn't believe it would be a simple reason, but I didn't put all the pieces together until the end.

A VERY INTERESTING BUT DISTURBING GHOST STORY

Would you listen to The Bell Witch again? Why?

YES, I LOVE GHOST STORIES AND HAD HEARD ABOUT THIS ONE FOR YEARS...I SAW THE MOVIE THAT WAS MADE A FEW YEARS AGO.

I LOVE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO BOOKS WHEN I AM ON THE ROAD, WHICH IS VERY OFTEN. I LISTEN TO THEM ON VACATION AND TOO RELAX.

What did you like best about this story?

THE GHOST STORY AND VIOLENT ACTS THAT HAPPENED...IT IS VERY DISTURBING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRL AND THE REASON FOR THE HAUNTING.

Have you listened to any of Cameron Beierle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NO

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES, IT KEPT MY INTEREST THE ENTIRE AUDIO BOOK

Any additional comments?

REMEMBER THIS AUDIO BOOK HAS A VERY DISTURBING TALE TO TELL. WARNING WARNING WARNING.

Loved!!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Bell Witch the most enjoyable?

A great story about a families very difficult time. Great to know more about the legend and the narrator was really fun to listen to.

Which character – as performed by Cameron Beierle – was your favorite?

Old Kate, the bell witch. Very well done. Sometimes too well done!

End Fizzles but Still Worth It

The narrator helps propel the story with multiple voices. My only complaint is the end is largely explanatory, which feels more like a gentle deceleration versus a solid ending. It still is a top tier audiobook though.